THIRTY-SIXTH CONGRESS, 185^-1861, 611 



and directed to advertise for sealed proposals, to be received for sixty 

 days after the passage of this act, (and the fulfilment of which shall be 

 guaranteed by responsible parties, as in the case of bids for mail con- 

 tracts), for the use by the government of a line or lines of magnetic 

 telegraph, to be constructed within two years from the 31st day of 

 July, 1860, from some point or points on the west line of the State of 

 Missouri, by any route or routes which the said contractors may select, 

 (connecting at such point or points by telegraph with the cities of 

 Washington, New Orleans, New York, Charleston, Philadelphia, 

 Boston, and other cities in the Atlantic, Southern, and Western States), 

 to the city of San Francisco, in the State of California, for a period of 

 ten years. 



Sec. 3. " * * Provided^ That the use of the line be given, at any 

 time, free of cost, to the Coast Surve}^, the Smithsonian Institution, 

 and the National Observatory, for scientific purposes. 



(Stat., XII, 41.) 



CARE OF GOVERNMENT COLLECTIONS. 

 June 25, 1860. 



Sundry civil act for 186L" 



For preservation of the collections of the exploring and surveying 

 expeditions of the government, $4,000. 



(Stat, XII, 109.) 

 February 21, 1861.^Senate. 



House bill making appropriations for sundry civil expenses of the 

 Government for the 3^ear ending June 30, 1862, was taken up. 



The next amendment was to strike out the following words: 



For the preservation of tlie collections of the exploring and surveying expeditions 

 of the Government, and the construction of suitable cases to receive said collections, 

 $6,000. 



And to insert in lieu thereof: 



For the distribution of the collections of the exploring and surveying expeditions 

 of the Government, and the construction of additional cases to receive such part of 

 said collections as may be retained by the Government, $6,000. 



The Presiding Officer put the question; and declared the noes 

 appeared to have it. 



Mr. W. P. Fessenden. Senators certainly do not understand the 

 amendment they are voting against. 



Mr. John P. Hale. I confess I do not. Let us have it explained. 



Mr. Fessenden. I will give an explanation. This sum is necessary 

 to be appropriated for the distribution of the collections of the explor- 

 ing expeditions. They brought back with them a great deal of matter 

 which has been arranged for distribution among the several States. 



